Sunshine Heritage: Key Largo – a musical celebration of all things Florida! This free concert by the Keys Community Concert Band takes place at 4 p.m., at the Key Largo Community Park, MM 99.6, Key Largo. Performance is outdoors; please bring blankets or lawn chairs.

For residents and visitors who simply want to enjoy dancing, the nonprofit Long Key Squares continues a 30-year tradition, where square dance attire is not required … but your attendance is desired! Held at Outdoor Resorts, mile marker 66, 65821 Overseas Highway, on Tuesday nights from 7-9:30 p.m. Cost is $5 per person. Lessons are also held for both beginners and plus dancers on Sundays from 2-4 p.m.

Rain or shine, from noon to 6 p.m. everyone is invited! Sponsored by Islamorada Firefighters Benevolent Assoc., the event features live music, barbecue pork/hamburgers/hot dogs & the fixings, raffles and silent auction. Donation of $12 per adult (or $6 for an adult with a food donation of 3 cans); $6 for kids age 6 and older; children 5 and under are free. One free beverage included with meal ticket. Located at the Lorelei, mile marker 82 bayside.

A fun-filled and family-friendly musical, this fractured fairy tale of the princess and the pea provides some side-splitting shenanigans. Anyone purchasing two tickets to a play on any Thursday, other than opening night, will receive $5 off the price of the two tickets. Both tickets must be purchased and paid for in one transaction. This offer is not valid with any other discounts. Visit website for select show dates and ticket information.Contact: 305-743-0994Email:gm@marathontheater.org

Art viewings are daily from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and during the intermission of the musical “Once upon a Mattress” at Marathon Community Theater, MM 49.5. The Florida Keys Watercolor Society was founded by 10 local Keys artists in 1980 with a mission to promote art to the public, hold an annual show and conduct a workshop instructed by nationally known instructors and artists. This year’s show presents 50 pieces by artists from Key Largo to Key West.Email:jean@floridakeyswatercolorsociety.com

The Lower Keys:

In the Lower Keys, KeysCaribbean Luxury Resorts and Marinas has the Coral Hammock Resort Villas and Kings Point Marina & Condominiums vacation rentals

Enjoy a fabulous tour of Key West…with a twist. A gay twist that is! Get a unique tour of Key West and learn about our colorful history that includes the famous and the infamous. Departs from the City Hall Parking Lot, located on the corner of Angela and Simonton. Tickets $25. Can be purchased ONLINE or at the trolley, our G&L Visitor Center (located at 513 Truman), and many of our distinguished gay and lesbian guest houses.

The southernmost island chain’s vibrant marine environment is to be celebrated with live music, artistry, kids’ activities, educational exhibits and more during the third annual Florida Keys Ocean Festival, set for noon to 6 p.m. More than 30 exhibits are to spotlight the Keys’ conservation efforts and the work of nonprofit organizations, and a like number of marine artists, craftspeople and vendors plan to showcase their wares. Free admission, free parking at the Florida Keys Eco Discovery Center, on the Truman Waterfront.

Members of the public are invited to enjoy free environmental documentaries Sundays through March 2012 at the Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center in Key West, co-sponsored by the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (NOAA). Doors to the center open Sundays at 1 p.m., show times are 2 p.m. & 4 p.m. Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center is located at 33 East Quay Road, on the Truman waterfront next to Ft. Zachary Taylor State Park. Films produced by PBS, National Geographic, Jean-Michel Cousteau Ocean Adventures and more. Visit website for complete details. Contact: 305-809-4755 Email:karrie.carnes@noaa.gov

Celebrate Cuba Week finishes with the hottest event of the year; this annual event has returned to the Garden with the sounds of Havana Soul; enjoy mojitos, authentic Cuban food, original Cuban art, live auction and more. This HOT benefit always sells out so make your reservations early! VIP Seating and General Admission tickets available.

This Broadway hit stars the hysterical Tom Luna as Tobi Powell, an eccentric and endearing dancer, choreographer and teacher. A married couple arrives at Powell’s apartment to interview him about his life, but it is soon evident that their agenda is as multi-layered as Tobi’s life story. Visit website for show times and tickets.

Florida Keys music lovers are in for a treat when the renown jazz rock band, Blood Sweat and Tears, comes to town to perform alongside several musical acts at the Keys Stock Musical Festival to be held on the grounds of the Lazy Lakes RV Resort in Sugarloaf Key. The Keys Stock Musical Festival is organized by popular local bandleader Howard Livingston? and the Lazy Lakes RV Resort as a Fundraiser for the KOA Care Camp, an organization that sends children with cancer and their siblings to summer camp. Doors will open at 11 a.m., and music plays from noon to 7 p.m. Lazy Lakes RV Resort is located at 311 Johnson Road (turn right off US 1 north at MM 20, fifteen miles out of Key West in Sugarloaf Key.) General Admission tickets are $15 in advance and $25 at the door. No coolers or alcoholic beverages are allowed to brought in. Please bring chairs and blankets.

Contact: Tickets: 305-745-1079

Key West / March 25

17th Annual Hospitality Open Golf Tournament

One of the longest running golf tournaments in the Florida Keys, the event supports scholarships for Florida Keys students in the hospitality and culinary fields of study. Just $100 per player includes greens fees at Key West Golf Club, goodie bag, food (Breakfast and Lunch), drinks, hot dog stand, Mimosas and Bloody Mary’s and much more! Team up with 4 of your friends or sign up individually! The event sells out quickly!

H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S! This jubilant musical is about a group of quirky prepubescent overachievers who are pitted against each other in the spelling challenge of a lifetime. They are overseen by grown-ups who barely managed to escape childhood themselves. Ultimately, the nerdy and the wordy learn that winning isn’t everything and that losing doesn’t necessarily make you a loser. Infectious songs and a laugh-out-loud script make Spelling Bee a winner! Showtime 8 p.m. Contact: Box Office 305-294-5015Email:Box_Office@waterfrontplayhouse.org

These are some of my favorite happenings this week and next in the Florida Keys. If you’re coming down to visit and stay with us at the KeysCaribbean Luxury Resorts & Marinas in our vacation rentals, share some of your favorite experiences with us …

Visit our blog next Monday with updated happenings in the Florida Keys…